“To Blurb or not to Blurb?” That’s not really a question because of course, you need a blurb to go with your book. In this day and age of publication, that paragraph or two describing your book’s plot, is an absolute necessity. Lately, I’ve been working on the blurb for the third novel in The Witch’s Foundling series: Spell of the Wordsmith. It’s been awhile so I had to re-educate myself on the finer points of the craft. A good blurb is one of the primary hooks to grab your potential reader’s interest enough to buy. So, yeah, pretty important. The following are the steps I consider when composing my book’s blurb.

“Writing Killer Cover Copy” by Elana Johnson has been my main guide when it comes to constructing my blurbs. According to Johnson, there are four main points to keep in mind when addressing what to put into your cover copy.

Identify your character. Young or old? Naive or cynical? Privileged or an outsider? Alien from another planet or ordinary human being? You don’t need too much detail but include what makes your character unique.

What challenge is facing your protagonist in their present circumstances? Do they want to win a prestigious prize? Are they looking for love in all the wrong places? Are they struggling to survive ferocious invaders? Add a bit of intrigue as to what makes their goal/desire admirable or, at least, understandable.

What’s preventing your protagonist from achieving their goal? Is it their lack of money or status? Do they have a physical or mental disability which presents an unavoidable roadblock? Does an antagonist actively oppose the protagonist’s desire? This is the place to tightly summarize your story’s conflict and lay out the main thrust of the novel.

Is your protagonist’s very life at stake? Or might they lose something or someone else, if they don’t succeed? Will the consequences of failure affect them alone or everyone else as well? This is where you state the stakes for your main character and their world. Leave the reader with enough of a hook to peak their interest while withholding the juicy details.

As you see, there’s actually a lot of work that goes into those little summaries you read on the back of the books you pick up or browse online.

Whether you’re an aspiring writer or just curious about all the things that go into a book, I hope these points provided you with some insight. I’ve been using these steps to construct the blurb for Spell of the Wordsmith and will release it soon. The ball is rolling and momentum is building for the book and I’ll be sending it out for interior formatting and cover design very, very soon so stay tuned to our Facebook, Instagram and Tik Tok to be on top of the latest news.

FEATURE DESIGN OF THE MONTH

Break out the pumpkins and treat bags! ‘Cause you know what time it is, don’t you? Whether you’re going all out with decorations for Halloween or you like a more understated approach, double your fun by joining with our mischievous, spirited pugs! May all your hauntings be hilarious and your Halloween Haul abundant. Find fun stickers, t-shirts, mugs and more of our pugs at our Redbubble shop.